Don't Close Your Eyes
by cullen's pet
Summary: He sliced her forearm and then sliced his own. He pressed them together and chanted. He was sharing his lifeforce with her, his very soul, binding them together for the rest of their lives. If one died, then so would the other. They were irreversibly linked. He only hoped that she wouldn't hate him for it.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter. It all belongs to JK Rowling. I make no money from this story. I also don't own any of the lyrics sprinkled throughout this story. They belong to Skillet.

A/N: So it's been a long time since I've listened to a song and had a story jump into my head. I was listening to the new Skillet album yesterday and one of the songs just completely resonated. While this short story is not entirely a song fic like I usually write, it was inspired by the lyrics and they will be interspersed throughout. The name of the song is Not Gonna Die. I suggest you check it out. Try to listen to it while reading this. The song seriously gave me chills...

Don't Close Your Eyes

Draco stopped running and pressed himself behind a tree on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. His breath whistled through his chapped lips and he panted and tried to catch his breath. He was in a place that he'd never imagined himself to be. If you'd asked him just a year ago what he'd be doing during the final battle he would have sneered and answered that he'd be fighting for the glory of the Dark Lord.

He shivered as he cautiously moved forward. He had to find her. He had to find Hermione Granger.

He stepped over the bodies lying haphazardly on the ground. He was surrounded by death. He only gave them a cursory glance, just to check that one of those that had fallen wasn't her. He wouldn't know what he would do if one of them turned out to be the girl who haunted his dreams.

He remembered during sixth year how she'd dogged his steps. He knew that Potter had put her up to it. It made it that much harder to complete his tasks. He also knew that she hadn't been spying on him with her entire ability. If she had, she would have caught him before it was too late.

It became a game of cat and mouse. He'd toyed with her, giving her just enough so that she continued her pursuit of the truth of what he was doing. It became a welcome distraction, a way for him to take his mind off of things; if only for a little while.

He'd gained more respect for her that year. Of course, he still felt that she was lower than him at the time. Even if the little voice in the back of his mind asked constantly what made her that much different from himself.

Draco took a deep breath and forced his thundering heart to slow down. It would do him no good to panic. He had to keep his wits about him. Now that he'd risen up against the Death Eaters, he'd be a target. He was a target from both sides. Anyone on the side of the light wouldn't have known, couldn't have known that he'd gone rogue. But he wouldn't give up. He had to tell her before it was too late.

_Flashback_

_He'd changed that day after his Aunt had tortured Granger in the drawing room. He watched helplessly as the sadistic bitch had tortured her, spilling her crimson blood all over the white marble of the floor. Blood that had been the same color as his own_.

_He couldn't deny it any longer. The proof spread thickly across the floor. They were the same. They both had magic. She had thoughts and feelings just like him. Their blood wasn't any different in color._

_He had drawn his wand and was on the verge of doing something really reckless that would no doubt had gotten them both killed when Potter and Weasley barged in. Potter took his wand and his old elf Dobby had pulled them all to safety._

_He was shaken to his core. He recovered his wand from the floor where Potter had dropped it. He blasted Greyback into the wall and stupefied his shrieking Aunt. He'd turned to his Father and Mother who were standing and staring at him in shock._

_"Draco..." his Father whispered. "What in the name of Merlin are you doing?"_

_"Something I should have done a long time ago," he answered stiffly. "It's all lies. LIES!" he thundered. "Purity of blood doesn't matter."_

_"Look!" he pointed at the large puddle on the floor, his hand shaking. "It's just as red as my own." He used his wand and opened a long gash on his forearm next to the black snake writhing on his arm. Red rushed forth and poured in a rivulet dripping to the floor. He ignored his Mother's gasp as he relished in the pain. It told that him that he was still alive._

_"You see," he whispered hoarsely. "Her blood is the same as mine."_

_"Draco..." his Father warned._

_"No, Father. I've had enough of this madness. I will not fight for something that I don't believe in. This was never my fight to begin with. It was yours. I hope, when the time comes, that we will not meet in battle."_

_He turned and prepared to apparate. He wanted to be long gone by the time his Aunt and Greyback awakened. He suffered no illusions. They would try to kill him._

_"Draco...please," his Mother pleaded._

_He didn't turn. He simply whispered, "Goodbye," as he popped into the ether._

_He jumped four times before he settled on a place to go. He knew that the Dark Lord would send his lackeys after him. He needed someone's help to keep him hidden. He went to Paris. He needed to borrow an owl. He had to find Hermione Granger._

Draco ducked behind a bush as the sound of approaching footsteps brought him back to the present. He had something to do. He wasn't going to die tonight. Not before she knew.

He held his breath as the footsteps moved away once more. He breathed a sigh of relief. He had to get to the castle. He knew that was where she was. He moved away from his hiding spot and continued on his trek.

He remembered how good it had felt after confronting his parents. He'd felt liberated. He had finally stood up against his Father. They couldn't keep their chains on him and they couldn't control him. He was his own man and he wasn't going to hide behind his name any longer. He was free in a way that he had never been before.

_Flashback_

_He'd sent his owl and hoped against hope that it reached her. And then he hoped that she would answer him. He needed her skills to negate the mark that burned angrily on his arm. Without it, he was a sitting duck. He was as good as dead._

_Her answer found him a few days later. It was only two sentences._

_'Why should I help you? Why should I trust you?' -HG_

_He immediately penned his answer._

_'You shouldn't. On both accounts. I've been nothing more than an ass for the last seven years. But I've no where else I can go. No one else to turn to. If you won't help me, then I doubt I'll live to see next week. I'm begging you Granger. Please.' -DM_

_He sent the owl and waited impatiently. If she replied in the negative, he would have to leave. He'd already stayed for much too long. He was surprised by a soft knock on his motel room door. He slipped his wand into his hand and silently walked across the floor. His heart beat wildly under his ribs as he cast a clever charm that allowed him to see through the door. To his surprise, it was Granger. He was cautious though. His owl could have been intercepted._

_"Tell me something that only I know about you, Granger," he called from behind the locked and warded door. _

_"Well, that's a little hard since you don't know me very well, isn't i?" she responded in a huff. "Fine. My first kiss was with Victor Krum. You caught us down by the Black Lake after the Yule Ball."_

_He paused. Technically, Krum would know that too. But maybe he didn't know it was her first. He only knew because she'd blurted it out as they rowed about it later that year over the Christmas Holidays. He lowered the wards and ushered her inside and then raised them again immediately._

_"Paranoid much," she muttered._

_"Of course I am," he scoffed. "I've got a bleeding tracking mechanism on my forearm."_

_His arm throbbed angrily as he spoke as the Dark Lord tried again to summon him. He grunted in pain and grasped his forearm with his hand. Pressure sometimes helped._

_"Here," she offered. "Let me see."_

_He sat on the bed and held out his arm. It tingled pleasantly as her fingers brushed against softly against his skin as she rolled up the sleeve to his black dress shirt. The dark mark blazed angrily against his pale skin, the snake dancing in and out of the skull, its maw opened as if it was hissing angrily._

_In a way it was. He could feel the Dark Lord's anger through the mark. Her fingers traced it softly before she drew away. He almost whimpered at the loss of her soothing touch._

_"What made you leave?" she asked as she pulled things from the bag she was carrying._

_"Honestly," he answered. "You."_

_"Me?" she asked, looking up startled._

_He looked at her for a moment. He realized that she really was quite something to look at even if she wasn't looking her best at the moment. She had dark circles beneath her eyes and her cheeks were sunken as if she'd lost a bit of weight. Despite these things she was still pretty, but her beauty was more than just skin deep. She was beautiful inside and out. He regretted the way he treated her. It was something that she'd done nothing to deserve._

_"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I know it doesn't erase what I've said to you or done to you over the years. That day in the drawing room," he swallowed as she stiffened. "I realized that everything that I'd been told was a lie. Your blood was just as red as my own. I decided that I had had enough. I cursed my Aunt and Greyback and left. I wouldn't be controlled anymore. The truth had set me free."_

_He could see the doubt that clouded her large, brown eyes. He didn't blame her. If he were in her shoes, he'd doubt him too._

_"Look," he said finally when the silence had stretched for several minutes. "Until I went to Hogwarts, I'd never even seen a muggleborn witch or wizard. My Father had described them as filthy wretches, ugly and unnatural. I never had any reason to question what he told me. Then I saw you on the train and an older boy, Marcus Flint, told me what you were. I started questioning what I'd been taught even then. I never voiced my questions, terrified of what would happen to me if I did. I'm a bloody coward, Granger. I'll be the first to admit it. My Father expected certain things from me and he had his spies. Crabbe and Goyle weren't really my friends. They told their father's everything, who in turn told mine."_

_"I know it doesn't excuse the way I treated you. And truth is I was so bloody jealous of Potter that I couldn't see straight."_

_"Jealous of Harry?" she questioned as she knelt on the floor in front of him, her fingers again soothing the burning in his arm. "How could you be jealous of him? According to you, you had everything."_

_"Not everything," he said bitterly. "Potter was the golden boy. Everyone liked him, he had real friends, and people who care about him. People that don't just use him for his name or money."_

_She laughed grimly. "You are more alike in that aspect than you'll ever know," she explained as she waived her wand in a complicated motion. Immediately his arm felt a hundred times better. "Harry is the-boy-who-lived, the Chosen One. You don't think that there are people that try to get close to him just because of who he is. Not only that, he inherited the Potter fortune as well as the Black fortune. He has more than enough money. His parents were murdered when he was an infant. He has no memories of them. The most evil wizard of all time is hell bent on destroying him. He hasn't had it as easy as you think."_

_"Maybe not," he conceded. "I never saw it like that. Either way, he had everything that I didn't. My Father pushed me into trying to befriend him. And of course, I failed. I can't help but wonder if I would be different if he'd accepted my friendship."_

_"Don't," she said as she cast another charm, this one freezing the serpent on his arm entirely. "You'll drive yourself crazy with the what ifs. Just keep in mind that you are different now and that is what counts. And for the record, I don't think you're a coward. It took courage to stand up to your parents."_

_He held is arm up and flexed his hand several times. The snake remained frozen against the black skull._

_"How did you do that?" he breathed. He'd never seen such magic before. He'd thought that there wasn't a counter to a dark mark._

_"It's my own spell," she admitted quietly as she pulled a few more things from her beaded bag. "No one can get rid of the mark entirely. When Riddle is defeated, the mark will fade but it will never be gone. I cast a reversal spell on the tracking charm and a freezing charm on the snake. You shouldn't feel the burn when he calls and he shouldn't be able to find you through the mark. All the same, you should steer clear of major cities. You should steer clear of anywhere populated, for that matter. I brought you a tent and supplies. You know how to cast wards, right?"_

_He nodded as he tried to take in all that she had done for him. She had no reason as he had never given her one to do anything for him yet she had. She had done more for him than anyone else that he could remember._

_She packed away her supplies. "Don't forget to cast your wards as soon as you decide where to camp. The snatchers camp in the woods. And for Merlin's sake don't call Riddle's self given name. It's taboo."_

_"I don't know what to say," he said uncomfortably. "No one has ever shown me any kindness. How can I repay you?"_

_"I don't need repaying, Malfoy," she huffed quietly. "Not everyone does things because they want something in return. You needed the help that I could give. End of story. Besides, the less witches and wizards on his side the better chance we stand."_

_"What if the charm wears off?" he asked worriedly. "How do I contact you?"_

_"I'm not sure where I'll be," she admitted as she got back to her feet and paced away from him. "Owls are dangerous. They can be intercepted and they are conspicuous. Can you cast a patronus?"_

_He shook his head in the negative. He didn't have a memory that was happy enough to produce that particular charm._

_She bit her lip and then dug around in her bag once more. "Here," she said as she held out a galleon. He took the large coin and turned it over in his hands._

_"What...?"_

_"It's a DA coin," she explained before he'd even voiced the question. "I carry the master. If you need me, hold it and think of me. Mine will heat up and tell me your location."_

_"Where did you get this?" he asked. He'd never even heard of such a thing._

_"I made them," she said as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "We used them during fifth year to call DA meetings."_

_"That's why it took us so long to catch you," he accused. "Umbridge was so pissed that we couldn't figure out how you were calling your meetings."_

_"Well," she sniffed. "You lot really didn't give us much choice, did you? Any way, I have to get back. I would suggest you get gone as fast as you can as well. This place isn't safe."_

_"Are you going to tell Potter and Weasley that you helped me?" he asked. _

_"No," she answered immediately. "They'll want to come and take you into custody for the Order. And while I don't doubt that there are things that you could tell us that would help us, it's not worth it in the end."_

_"I'll tell you everything I know," he blurted. "I don't want him to win."_

_"Another time," she said gently as she prepared to apparate. "Whenever you get settled, call for me. It might take me a few days to respond, but I'll come and you can tell me then."_

_She didn't wait for his goodbye. One second she was there and the next she was gone. He found himself feeling strangely empty after she was gone. He hadn't wanted her to go. He traced the ugly tattoo on his arm thoughtfully. She was more brilliant than he'd ever given her credit for._

He took a deep breath and took off running once more. He was determined to do this. He could have easily just stayed hidden until it was all over. He would be arrested after everything was over, providing that the light side won, but he was sure that Hermione's memories would exonerate him. But he was done being a coward. He wanted to fight for what was right. He wanted to fight for her.

He had broken their hold and he wouldn't be controlled. They couldn't chain him with their beliefs any longer. He knew the truth. He'd finally admitted the truth to himself. He was in love with Hermione Granger. He let his feelings propel him on. He wouldn't die tonight. Not before he told her the truth.

_Flashback_

_He'd waited a few days before he contacted her the first time. The charm had worked perfectly. If he was truthful with himself, he was lonely. That and he'd promised her information. After the third day and he hadn't heard a response, he started to get worried. What if something had happened to her? What if she wasn't going to came? What if he wasn't important?_

_His worries were unfounded. She'd nearly scared him to death that afternoon when she finally showed up inside the wards of his campsite._

_He'd actually shot off his first curse before he realized who she was. Luckily, she'd been prepared and blocked his curse, sending it veering harmlessly to her left._

_"Merlin, Granger! Give a guy a little warning next time," he breathed as he got to his feet. "I could have seriously hurt you."_

_She smiled as she shoved her wand into the holster beneath her long sleeved shirt. "Doubtful, Malfoy. I've always been faster than you," she boasted._

_He was going to argue with her until he saw the light in her eyes. She was teasing him. "Whatever," he muttered finally. "What took you so long?"_

_He wouldn't admit to her that he was worried. He could see that she had a cut on her cheek and a burn above her left eyebrow. No doubt she'd been doing something extremely dangerous._

_"I was busy," she said as she sat by the edge of his fire. She waved her wand and the flames of his fire turned blue and the smoke disappeared. "You'll want to use that charm on your fire from now on. No one can see your camp through the wards but they will still see the smoke from your fire and it will lead them to you."_

_He was suitably impressed. She'd just done another bit of magic that he hadn't been familiar with. "Busy doing what?" he asked finally._

_"Breaking into Gringott's," she said nonchalantly._

_"You did what?" he asked incredulous. "No one has ever broken into there and lived to tell the tale."_

_"Well, as you can see, I'm still here."_

_"Why in the name of Slytherin would you do such a crazy thing?" he exclaimed. "How did you get out?"_

_"There was something in one of the vaults that we needed," she explained. "And we rode a dragon out."_

_He didn't have any words to reply with. She was crazy. He realized then how committed the light side was to winning the war, just how far they were willing to go._

_"You're going to get yourself killed," he lectured finally. "That was really dangerous."_

_She laughed humorlessly. "Being alive is dangerous for me right now. Did you know that you've made it to the number three spot on the Undesirable list? You're right behind myself and Harry."_

_"Really," he drawled. "Well, it seems that I've beat Weasley at something finally."_

_She smiled at him. "So, what is it that you need?" she asked finally. "Did the charm stop working?"_

_"No," he said. "I just wanted to tell you what I know. I want to help however I can. I realize that the Order will never trust me, but you can pass along the information."_

_"Okay," she agreed. "Shoot."_

_"Shoot?" he asked._

_"Muggle expression," she explained. "It means to go ahead."_

_So he did. He told her about how the Dark Lord had taken over the manor. How he'd broken his Father's wand and how the Malfoy's were virtually prisoners in their own home. They were incredibly lucky that he was out when the snatchers brought them to the manor. She asked about the snake and Draco explained that she was always at the Dark Lord's side. He told her everything he knew._

_She taught him her charm for the fire before she left so that he could do it when he broke camp and moved. Then she charmed him a blue flame in a jar that he could keep in the tent to keep him warm._

_"Stay safe," he said as she prepared to leave. He didn't want her to go. He didn't want to be by himself anymore. If he was honest, he would admit then that he already liked her more than he should._

_"Same to you, Draco," she answered. "It will all be over soon." Then she disappeared._

_He watched the spot that she disappeared from for a minute. She'd used his first name for the first time ever. He liked it._

He'd finally made it to the courtyard. There was a lot of duels going on around him. Instinctively he knew that she was here. He could feel it. He weaved amongst the witches and wizards searching for the girl that mattered to him most. He kept up his disillusionment charm as he searched. When he found her, he would cancel it and join her by her side. He wanted to fight with her. For her.

He spotted her in the distance dueling a masked Death Eater. He hurried along, desperate to reach her. Her face was tired and she looked as if she was on the verge of losing. He saw the curse erupt from her opponents arm and flung himself forward, screaming her name. He knew that he was too late. He wouldn't get to her in time.

_Flashback_

_It happened over the course of the next few months. He called her at least once a week. He never really needed anything, he just craved her presence. He needed to hear her voice, see her face._

_He liked her. He liked her a lot. He regretted the way he'd treated her in the past. He couldn't help but think about how things could have been different if he'd been different. They could have been good friends. Maybe even more._

_He never told her, but he shamelessly flirted with her. He liked to think that she flirted back. She may have been just being nice, because that's what she was, but he could see the rosy glow that kissed her cheeks when she looked at him. After this was over, he was going to court her properly. It hadn't occurred to him at the time that they might not live that long. It was that thought that spurred him to go to Hogwarts on the day that she had told him that the battle would occur. He had to tell her before it was too late._

It happened in slow motion. He shoved his way past Seamus Finnegan, who was dueling against Amycus Carrow and doing a surprisingly good job.

He shouted, screaming out his shield curse, "Protego."

He wasn't quick enough. He saw the purple curse slice across her midsection. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in a silent scream. Then her legs buckled and she sunk to the ground.

The sound that poured from his throat was animalistic. He hit the Death Eater with the darkest curse he knew, boiling him from the inside out. The putrid smell of burning flesh filled the air along with the man's agonized screams. He thrashed on the ground, his mask slipping off as Draco made his way over to the fallen girl. It was Dolohov. He paid no mind to the dying man as he fell to his knees beside Hermione.

He wasted no time. He reached beneath her and lifted her into his arms. Her face was gray and ashen and her chest heaved as she fought for breath.

"No, you don't," he ordered as he pulled her closer and took off toward the castle. He had to get her to the hospital wing.

He took off at a jog, moving as fast as he could carrying her limp weight. He watched as her eyes shut and a shudder racked her small body.

"Stay with me," he choked, his voice cracking with emotion. "You can't die on me. I haven't had the chance to tell you yet."

Her eyes fluttered open but they were glazed and he wasn't even sure if she could see him. "Tell me what?" she asked and started coughing.

He moved through the chaos, spells and curses ricocheting all around them. He passed Fred or George Weasley, he wasn't sure which, and they yelled out, "Take her to the Great Hall Malfoy! Madam Pomphrey is there treating the injured."

He nodded and pushed through the doors. He dashed down the corridor and into the Great Hall. His chest was burning with exertion and his arms ached.

"Madam Pomphrey!" his voice was frantic as he sought out the mediwitch. Hermione's lips were blue and she shivered uncontrollably in his arms.

"Mister Malfoy?" She said his name like a question as he laid Hermione on the nearest cot.

"Please," he pleaded. "Help her. I can't lose her. Not now."

He stood by helplessly as Madam Pomphrey ran her wand urgently over Hermione's shivering body, muttering spells as she moved.

"Do you know what she was hit with?" asked the mediwitch.

"I don't know," he admitted. "It was purple."

"Same curse," Hermione gasped suddenly. "It's the same curse that he got me with at the Department of Mysteries."

Madam Pomphrey's face was grave. "I was afraid of that," she muttered.

"They gave me a potion at Mungos," Hermione said weakly. "Snape brewed it."

"Do you think you can find Professor Snape?" Madam Pomphrey asked.

"Professor Snape is dead," Hermione muttered and then coughed, blood coating her lips. "Harry and I heard the whole thing. By the time we reached him, Nagini's poison had spread too far."

"Oh dear...," Madam Pomphrey whispered. She clutched his arm and pulled him away from the make shift bed. "I'm afraid that there is nothing that I can do for her. Without the potion..." she trailed off.

"No!" he cried forcefully. He knelt by the cot and took her hand. "No, you're not going to die tonight. You're going to fight." He kissed her wrist and shuffled closer, tears glazed his eyes, threatening to overflow at any moment.

"Don't give up on me," he whispered. "You're everything that I need."

He squeezed her hand and the floodgates opened when he realized how cold her hand had grown. Anguish filled him as he watched her sputter and cough again, struggling for her breath.

"It's okay, Draco," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"No, it's not," he cried, his tears finally free from their prison. "You don't understand! You can't go! You can't leave me! I love you!"

She smiled and reached up with one shaking hand to cup his cheek. His eyes closed as she wiped one tear away with pad of her soft thumb. She looked as if she wanted to say something. Her mouth moved but nothing came out. Her arm sunk back to the bed as her strength drained. Her chest moved once more and her eyes fluttered shut before she became still.

"No," he cried as he bent over her. "No... I won't let you go."

He slashed the air with his wand, drawing all of his magic from his very core to perform a spell that his Mother had taught him. He wouldn't let her go. The world needed her light. He needed her. He sliced her forearm and then sliced his own. He pressed them together and chanted. He was sharing his lifeforce with her, his very soul, binding them together for the rest of their lives. If one died, then so would the other. They were irreversibly linked. He only hoped that she wouldn't hate him for it. He was more than okay with it. He didn't want to live without her.

He could feel the drain on both his physical strength and his magical energy. He chanted on, growing weaker. A warm, golden glow surrounded them as he continued the spell. His vision darkened as his life was pulled from him and put into her but he kept the spell going. She would not die.

He slumped forward as his strength finally gave out. He felt the girl on the bed move and start coughing as she took her first breath. He didn;t even have the energy to lift his head.

"Draco?" her voice was like music to his ears. "Draco, are you okay? Was I dead? What have you done?"

He smiled slightly to himself. She always wanted to know everything. He couldn't answer her though. He was too tired at the moment. Thank Merlin for Madam Pomphrey.

"Rest child," she hushed as she pushed her down gently. Draco felt curiously light as she levitated him and widened Hermione's cot. He placed him next to her. "He saved you. At his own expense. Silly boy."

She moved away and he could feel her glare even though his eyes were closed. "Draco Malfoy," her bossy tone was back. "I don't know what you did but so help me Merlin..."

"It's an ancient spell," he murmured, finding his voice. "I shared myself with you. My life and my magic, sharing one spark. Our souls are entwined, for now and forever. Think of it like the flame of two candles. Once one is snuffed out, so will the other."

"Why would you do that?" she sounded horrified. "You're stuck with me now. You should have let me go."

"No," he said stubbornly. "I need you. I needed you then and I still need you now. I meant what I said before. You're all that I've ever wanted and it was time for me to stand up and fight for what I wanted. And that was you; now and forever. So get used to it Princess, because I'm not going anywhere."

~~~~Fin~~~~

So... thoughts? I know that everyone is waiting on the next chapter of What A Malfoy Wants and I promise that it will be coming soon. On another note, I'm stretching my wings a bit. I'm working on a one-shot for a new fandom, Mortal Instruments. I've become quite enamored with Jace Wayland. If you like that series, keep your eyes peeled.


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